My Favorite Mistake
by NALEYAAF23
Summary: Meredith Grey is ready to start her final year at Seattle Grace University. That all changes once she meets Derek Shepherd, a graduate student. There's an instant attraction between the two. But there are a few people who don't want them together. To make sure that they don't lose each other, Derek and Meredith elope. However, that might prove to be a big mistake or is it?
1. Chapter One

**A/N**: Here is the beginning of another Meredith/McDreamy story for readers to enjoy.

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**Chapter One**

Meredith was in a deep sleep when she was suddenly awoken by a beeping noise. She groaned as she realized it was her alarm clock, signaling her to get up. She reached her arm out over to her nightstand to turn it off. The noise was too annoying to bear. Of course, that was one of the consequences for choosing morning classes. She finally managed to press the right button and the room became silent.

Meredith then pushed back the covers and crawled out of bed. She hated getting up early in the morning, but it was a must for her to attend her morning classes. As she walked to the bathroom, she wasn't surprised to see that her roommate's door was still closed. Cristina wasn't a morning person either. In fact, she had arranged for all of her classes to be in the afternoon so she could sleep in.

She and Cristina had met in freshman year when they had been paired together as roommates. They instantly became best friends and fought to make sure that they were roommates every year. For their senior year, they had decided to get an apartment together instead of living in the dorms. They had managed to find an apartment that wasn't too far from the university.

After taking a quick shower, she went back into her room to find an outfit to wear. By the time she came out into the kitchen and started making breakfast, Cristina was just getting up. However, Meredith could tell that she was still half asleep. "Remind me to never to go out partying on a Sunday night ever again," she said as she sat down on a stool. "I think I'm going to skip my classes today."

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Well, you are going to have to find someone else to cover for you. Because I'm not telling Dr. Hahn another one of your excuses about why you aren't in class." Cristina gave her a pleading look. However, Meredith was firm. She had done it for her best friend too many times. She wasn't going to do it anymore. "No, I'm not going to do it. Besides, it's really important that we don't skip too many classes. This is our senior year of college. Don't you want to graduate next year?"

"Right now, I just want to go back to bed and sleep," Cristina replied as she rested her head against her arms. Meredith then put a plate down in front of her. Cristina looked down at her breakfast and made a face. "What the hell is this supposed to be?" she asked as she observed the crumbly mess before her.

Meredith wasn't offended by her friend's words. She knew she was a bad cook, but she kept trying anyway. "It's supposed to be Eggs Benedict." She could tell that Cristina wasn't convinced. "I can make you something else," she offered.

"I think I'll pass," Cristina replied as she pushed the plate away from her as far away as she could.

Meredith let out a heavy sigh. "One of these days, I'll get it right." They then heard a knock at the door. Meredith went to answer it and greeted George as he came in. "You're here early."

"Yeah, I came by to see if Izzie was here," George told her. "I wanted to catch her before she left." Meredith and Cristina exchanged confused looks before turning back to George. "You didn't hear? Izzie dropped out of school just because Mr. Webber fired Professor Duquette."

"Good," Cristina replied. Meredith gave her a look. Cristina couldn't believe that Meredith was taking Izzie's side. "Come on. You know she deserves it. It's never a good idea to sleep with your teacher."

"You can't help who you fall in love with," George pointed out as he noticed Cristina's plate. "Is that your breakfast?"

"Nope, it's yours," Cristina replied before she hopped off the stool. "I'm going to go back to bed."

George eyed the breakfast plate and tried not to show his displeasure. He didn't want to hurt Meredith's feelings by not eating the food. Meredith knew what he was thinking. "You don't have to eat it if you don't want to. I know I'm not the best cook in the world."

George gave her a comforting smile. "I'm sure you'll get better," he assured her as he discarded the food in the trash can. "You just need more practice."

Meredith gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks George. At least somebody thinks I can improve."

George looked at the time. "I should get going. I have an early class. I'll see you two at lunch?"

Meredith nodded her head. They then exchanged good-byes before George left the apartment. She tried to salvage the rest of her breakfast, but it was hopeless. She decided just to grab some bread and make some toast. She knew that she couldn't mess that up.

After eating breakfast, Meredith quickly cleaned the kitchen up before she went back to her room. She checked her backpack twice before she was satisfied that she had put everything she needed in there, especially her homework and laptop. She put her backpack strap over her shoulder before she went back into the kitchen

She then heard Cristina's door open. Meredith grabbed her purse and keys before she turned to her best friend. "Will you able to get over your hangover by this afternoon?" she asked. "Because I meant what I said."

"I meant what I said," Cristina mimicked. She then rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll go to class." Meredith was glad to hear it. She didn't let Cristina say another word before she started walking towards the front door. However, she still could hear her voice. "But don't be surprised if I fall asleep and get kicked out of class," she called as Meredith shut the door behind her.

Even though Seattle Grace University was just a few blocks away, Meredith still preferred to drive there. She knew how impatient other drivers can get with people trying to walk across the crosswalk. She didn't want to get run over by other cars. Besides, her job as a bar waitress at the Emerald City Bar causes her to work late and Meredith didn't want to walk home in the dark alone.

Meredith walked over to her car and unlocked it. She then put her backpack in the front passenger's seat before she slid into the driver's seat. She closed the car door before she turned on the radio. She couldn't stand silence while driving. She then put the key into the ignition and turned on the car.

Just as she was about to pull out of the parking space, she heard her cell-phone ringing. She groaned as she recognized the ring tone. It was one she had set for Lexie, her younger sister. She wanted to ignore it, but she knew that she would get an earful from her mother if she didn't.

Meredith finally picked up her cell-phone and put the phone to her ear. "Lexie, could you make it quick? I'm about to leave for class." She then waited to see what her sister would say. Meredith shook her head in disbelief when she heard Lexie's request. "You need a ride back to your dorm? Why can't Mom do it?" She didn't let Lexie answer. She didn't have time for excuses. "I can't do it right now. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to find someone else to pick you up." She quickly said good-bye before hanging up. She didn't mean to be rude, but she hated when her sister calls her at the last minute to ask her for a favor.

Meredith settled back into her seat as she pulled away from the building and headed onto the busy street. A few minutes later, she arrived at the university and went into the student parking lot. She was pleased to see that there were still quite a few empty spaces. So she pulled into one and parked the car. She grabbed her stuff and locked the car before heading across the parking lot to the building where her first class was, ready to start another long day of classes.

At lunch, Meredith met George and Cristina at their usual table. The conversation started with George and Meredith talking about their morning classes. They were suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice. They turned to see Izzie, who had a wide smile on her face. She joined them at the table before they started firing questions at her.

Izzie quickly stopped her friends before they got too noisy. "I would rather not talk about it."

Meredith understood her right to privacy. However, she just wanted to know one thing. "Just answer this question: is it true that you decided to drop out of college?" she asked, not wanting to get into the reason.

Izzie nodded. "It's probably for the best. I've always struggled with keeping up with my classes and work. I'm surprised I've made it to senior year."

"That's all the more reason you should stay and finish up school," Meredith told her. She didn't want to push Izzie into staying, but it _was_ her senior year. "You're too close to the end to quit now."

Izzie let out a heavy sigh. "I know, but I don't want to stay here anymore if it means that Denny can't be here."

Cristina stopped her right there. "Don't call him by his first name."

"What should I call my fiancé then?" Izzie asked her. It was only then that her friends noticed the sparkling engagement ring that was on her finger. "That's another reason why I'm leaving. We want to get married before the move." Her friends looked at her confused. "We're going to live in Oregon for awhile. We don't want to stay where we're not welcomed."

"What gave you that idea?" Cristina asked her as Meredith gave her a look. She then knew that she had to say something nice to make up for her rude comment. She gave her a fake smile as she spoke again. "We'll miss you."

Izzie knew she didn't mean it, but she was used to her rudeness. She was going to respond when she noticed that the two people had entered the food court that she didn't want to notice her. She quickly gathered up her stuff and got up from her chair. "I should go before President Webber and Dean Bailey see me. I know I'm not banned from the university, but I don't want to cause anymore drama. I'll see you guys later." She quickly said good-bye to her friends before she dashed out the door.

"It looks like it's my turn to make a graceful exit," Meredith told them as she noticed Lexie. She really didn't want to hang out with her. Cristina knew how she felt. She wasn't crazy about Lexie either. She happily followed Meredith away from the table and out of the building.

Cristina waited until they were away from the building before speaking. "I'll be so glad when I don't have to deal with her anymore. She's so annoying."

"Lexie is nothing compared to my mom," Meredith reminded her. Cristina knew she had a point. "Are you in the mood to meet for drinks at Joe's after we're done with our classes?" she asked hopefully. She really wanted some company at the bar. She knew that guys wouldn't hit on her if Cristina was with her. She always seemed to scare them away.

Cristina groaned. "No, I have to finish that stupid essay for Dr. Hahn. I'm _so_ looking forward to graduation."

Meredith couldn't help but agree. "I'm sure it will go by fast," she assured her.

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That evening, Meredith was super busy with customers. She barely had a break before more customers came into the bar. Most were college students who just come from the football game and wanted to celebrate their victory with a bunch of beers and food. She suddenly became overwhelmed with orders and checking IDs to make sure that they were real.

She knew that there were just a few underage students who wanted to experiment with drinking before he or she were legally allowed to. However, she wouldn't tolerate it. She didn't want to risk losing her job or having her boss lose his job for giving beer to minors. She had to turn a few customers away because of her finding that their IDs were fake. But that wasn't what bugged her.

It was the flirting with her and hitting on her that drove her crazy. The drinking made it worse. It sometimes made her wonder why she took this job at the bar. She could have stayed far away from the bar, but she wanted to try it out. Now she regretted her decision, but she decided to grin and bear it. She had to keep reminding herself that it was only until the spring. Then she would decide whether she wanted to continue to work there or not. Joe had told her that he would understand if she didn't want to stay.

However, she couldn't focus on that now. She had to concentrate on her never ending orders of food and drinks. She was relieved when the chaos finally slowed down. Meredith then took her much deserved break.

As Meredith returned to work, her first customer came up to the bar and sat down at the counter. Meredith couldn't help but notice his jet black hair and blue eyes. She didn't recognize the man, but she could tell that he wasn't going to flirt with her. In fact, it didn't look like he even wanted to be there. Meredith then knew that the man had probably been involved with a huge argument with his fiancée or spouse that ended with the couple breaking up. She has seen it before with other customers. They always believe that they could drown their sorrows away with drinking, but it never works. Instead, it would make the situation worse. Meredith didn't want that to happen to this man.

Meredith walked over to where the man was sitting and gave him a smile. "Can I get you anything?" she offered.

The man looked up at her. "Are you new here?" he asked her with a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't think I've seen you here before."

For Meredith, that was usually a pick up line. But she already knew that this man wasn't planning to flirt with her. "I've only been working at the bar a few weeks," she replied. "But I've been working here for a couple of years."

The man nodded understandingly. "That must be tough with your fellow students trying to hit on you while you're working."

"It's a pain in the ass. That's for sure," Meredith admitted. "But I only have to deal with it for a little longer. After graduation, I'm planning to find another job elsewhere. Don't get me wrong. I love this place, but I don't want to work here all my life."

"What are you studying?" the man asked curiously. Before Meredith could answer, another customer walked into the bar. Meredith wanted to stay with the man, but she knew that she had to take care of the customer. He knew what she was thinking. He gave her a smile. "Go on. I know you have a job to do. I should get going anyway," he said as he hopped off the stool. "I have a lot of work to do myself."

Meredith was disappointed to hear that he was leaving. "Are you planning to come back soon? I owe you a drink."

The man laughed. "I will," he promised, not willing to turn down the invitation. "And my name is Derek. You know, it would help if I knew your name."

Meredith gave him another smile. "It's Meredith."

Derek returned the smile. "It was nice to meet you, Meredith. I'll see you later." He then disappeared out the door, leaving an excited Meredith who couldn't wait to see him again.


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N**: Thank you for the awesome reviews.

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**Chapter Two**

Over the next few days, Meredith looked for Derek around campus and at the bar. She was disappointed when Derek didn't show up. Yet, she understood the rigorous schedule of homework, job, social life and perhaps even personal life. She had to deal with it herself. She knew that she had just to wait and see when he would return.

By the end of the week, Meredith started to lose hope. However, she didn't dare say a word to Cristina. She already believed that Derek wasn't going to return to the bar. Meredith didn't want to give her the satisfaction that she believed that too. George, however, was optimistic that Meredith and Derek were going to run into each other again. Meredith was glad that someone had faith.

On that Friday afternoon, Meredith attended her morning classes before she headed to the library for the afternoon. Like any other weekend, she wasn't planning to go home. She had too much homework to do to try and visit her mother. Besides, she knew that her weekend would be ruined if she did go back home. The visits were never fun for her. So Meredith always stayed at her apartment with Cristina and only went back home to visit at holidays and birthdays.

As Meredith walked into the library, she quickly greeted the librarian at the front desk before she continued on her way. She walked past the computers and straight to the bookshelves. She had an idea of what she was looking for. So she didn't need any help from the librarian or the student volunteers.

After checking out a few books, she headed to Starbucks for some coffee. She was relieved to see that the line wasn't too long. She wanted to get started on her homework right away. The line moved quickly and it wasn't long before she was handed her cup of coffee. She thanked the cashier before she left.

As she headed across campus, she heard her name being called. She wasn't thrilled when she recognized the voice as Lexie's. She stopped for a moment so her sister could catch up to her. However, she didn't let her say a word. "If you're looking for a ride home, you're going to have to find someone else. I have way too much homework to do this weekend."

"I wasn't planning to ask you for a ride," Lexie replied. "Actually, I was wondering if you would like to catch a ride with me."

Meredith shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to have to pass. Like I said, I just have way too much studying to do this weekend."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "You really need to get a life," she advised. "There is a lot more to college than just studying and working all the time."

Meredith gave her a look. "I go bar hopping with Cristina all the time," she replied. "And I meet guys. I just don't bring them home with me."

"Why not? It's fun," a unfamiliar voice answered. Meredith turned to see a man with spiky hair. He gave Meredith a wide smile. "Hi, I'm Mark Sloan, Lexie's ride."

Meredith frowned. "That's funny. I know all of Lexie's friends. And I have never heard her mention you."

Lexie turned red in embarrassment. "You have to forgive my sister. She forgets her manners sometimes. Meredith, this is Mark Sloan. We met just earlier today and he has graciously offered to drive me home for the weekend."

Meredith nodded understandingly. "I'm sorry. That was terribly rude of me. I'm Meredith Grey, Lexie's sister."

Mark looked at her hard. "You wouldn't happen to be the Meredith Grey who works at the Emerald City Bar, are you?"

Meredith gave him a confused look. "Yes, but how did you know that?" she asked. She didn't think that she had met him at the bar. She could see that he was one who liked to flirt with other women, but she didn't believe that he had with her. "Have we met?"

Mark shook his head. "No, I have only heard about you from Derek."

That got Meredith's attention. "You know Derek?" she asked, curious to hear more.

Mark nodded. "Yeah, he has mentioned that he wanted to get back to the bar so you could buy him that drink." Meredith was happy to hear that he didn't forget about her. "But he has been too busy with his research to do it." Meredith gave him another confused look. "He is studying to be a psychologist." He looked at his watch. "In fact, he should be about done helping Dr. Robbins and heading back to his house now. Do you want me to drop you off there so you could surprise him?" he offered. "Or I can just give you his cell phone number?"

Meredith nodded as she started to dig through her purse. "Yeah, that would be great. And I'll give you mine so he can contact me when he's ready to meet up." She pulled out a few pad of paper and pens. She and Mark exchanged phone numbers and home addresses before they said good-bye.

As Meredith headed out to the parking lot, she started to change her mind about doing her homework right away. She has wanted to see Derek all week and she didn't think she could wait another day. She didn't know why she wanted to see him so badly. It wasn't like he was her boyfriend. He was really just an acquaintance who she owed a drink. Then again, there was something about him that she couldn't ignore.

As she reached her car, she continued to debate back and forth about whether or not she should stop by Derek's house. She had to start her homework, but she had all weekend to do it. She might not have another chance to see Derek again for awhile. After several more moments of deliberation, she decided to take a chance and drive to his house.

Meredith still couldn't believe that Derek remembered her or the promise about buying him a drink. Of course, their conversation had been short. So it shouldn't have been a surprise that he did remember the promise. But to Meredith, it was. She knew that any other guy would just forget about her and never come in the bar again. However, Derek wanted to make sure that he would return so she could buy him a drink.

As Meredith drove closer to the address, she suddenly realized that he wouldn't be home yet. Once she found the right house, she drove around the block and parked across the street. She was still nervous about knocking on his door and surprising him. She didn't know how he would react. She didn't even know about his personal life. So she didn't want to act like she was stealing someone's boyfriend or fiancé or even husband away from someone. Then again, she didn't see him wearing a wedding ring.

Meredith grew more anxious by the minute. She decided to use the time to look through the library books to start looking for information she could use for her paper. She looked up once in awhile to see if he had arrived home. Just as she was about to give up, she saw a car pull up in the driveway. She closed the library book and put it onto the front seat. She watched as Derek got out of his car and went to the back of the car to grab his backpack. He then locked the car and walked up to the house. Meredith held her breath as she waited to see if someone would follow him or greet him at the door. There was no one.

Meredith waited for a few moments before she decided to go up and knock on the door. She took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. She made sure the vehicle was locked before she walked up towards the house. As she got closer, she suddenly froze as Derek came out of the house again. He was about to head back to his car when he spotted Meredith. He gave her a wide smile as she approached him.

Meredith quickly explained before he could get too confused. "I ran into your friend Mark and he told me that you have really busy lately," she told him. "I thought I could surprise you. So he told me your address and said that you would be on your way home. Is this a bad time?"

Derek gave her a comforting smile. "No, this is a great surprise. I love surprises." Meredith instantly felt a lot better for coming. "Let me just grab something out of my car and we'll go inside." He quickly found what he was looking for and led Meredith inside. He gave her the tour before they ended up in the kitchen. "Can I get _you_ something to eat or drink?" he offered her as he went to the fridge.

"I'll take a glass of water," Meredith replied. Derek took the water pitcher out before he went to the cupboard and pulled out two glasses. "You have a lovely home," she complimented as he poured water into the glasses.

Derek smiled proudly. "Thank you. I really worked hard on fixing it up when I first moved in here."

"How long ago was that?" Meredith asked curiously as Derek handed her her glass. She thanked him before taking a couple of sips.

"It was four years ago," Derek replied. "I moved in here after I completed my Bachelor's degree."

"Mark told me you're studying psychology," Meredith said. "That's not an easy subject to learn, is it?"

Derek laughed. "Yeah, it's certainly has its challenges. But I believe any subject you study does. What about you? What are you studying?"

"I'm studying a number of different things, but it's mainly journalism," Meredith replied. "But don't worry. I'm not planning to be the fucking paparazzi that harass every celebrity I see. I know how to respect people's privacy." She quickly apologized for her use of language. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be disrespectful."

Derek gave her a comforting smile. "No, it's perfectly fine. And I agree with you. I don't want to disrespect people's privacy either." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "I'm surprised that you're not on the school paper."

Meredith was quiet for a moment. "I was for my first two years, but I quit during my junior year." Derek thought for a moment as Meredith continued. "There was a new editor with the paper and we didn't get along. She kept making changes that I didn't really like. So I got out of there before it got too messy."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Derek replied as he realized where he had heard her name before. "Because I thought your articles about the guests' speakers we have had at the university were really great. You always seem to know the right words to say about them."

Meredith turned red. "Well, it's nice to know that I have a fan." There was an awkward silence before she spoke again. "No offense, but it is way too quiet here. I'm surprised that you don't have a pet in here. I would have a pet in my apartment, but my roommate Cristina doesn't want any pets. So I just deal with it."

"So you don't live on campus?" Derek asked her. Meredith shook her head. "Well, that certainly explains why I couldn't find you in the dorms."

Meredith raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You were looking for me? I was looking for you," she admitted. "I was disappointed when you didn't come back to the bar. My friends thought that I was imagining you."

Derek laughed. "Yeah, I know the feeling. And I'm sorry that I didn't return right away."

Meredith didn't let him say another word. "It's ok. I understand. Mark told me that you've been really busy."

"What else did Mark say about me?" Derek asked. "By the way, how did you say you met Mark? You ran into him?"

"Actually, I met him through Lexie, my younger sister," Meredith replied. "Apparently, they somehow met earlier today and he offered to drive her home for the weekend." She then made a face. "No offense, but I didn't quite believe him."

Derek sighed. "Yeah, I don't blame you. Mark loves flirting with the ladies. So I wouldn't be surprised if he talked his way into taking your sister home. Does that mean you're not going home for the weekend?"

Meredith nodded. "Yeah, I have a lot of homework to do. In fact, I should probably go and get started on it. I didn't mean to stay this long."

"Why don't you just stay and do your homework here?" Derek suggested. "Then I can take you out for dinner." Meredith was about to respond when Derek didn't let her interrupt him. "I know you owe me a drink, but I want to make up for you thinking I stood you up."

Meredith gave him a smile. "I know you didn't stand me up, but I'll accept your invitation for dinner. And I'll study here as long you don't think I'm going to wear out my welcome."

Derek returned the smile. "You're always welcomed here, Meredith."

A few hours later, Derek and Meredith took their final break from studying and Derek dropped Meredith off at her apartment so she could get ready for dinner. Meredith couldn't believe that she was going out with her mystery man. She was so excited that she could barely get the keys in the handle to unlock the door.

"Where the hell have you been?" Cristina asked as Meredith entered the room. She didn't answer as she went past her. Cristina then recognized the smile and knew what had happened. She followed her roommate to her bedroom. "You have a date tonight, don't you? Who is the lucky guy?" she asked anxiously as Meredith started to rummage through her closet. She knew exactly what dress she wanted to wear for tonight.

"It's Derek," she replied as she pulled out her black dress and black high heels. Cristina gave her a confused look as Meredith put her dress on the bed. Meredith knew what she was thinking. "Yes, it's the Derek who you thought stood me up at the bar."

Cristina gave her a look. "I never said that. I said that it was unlikely that your mystery man would show up again." Meredith didn't want to argue with her. "So how did you end up with him as your date?" she asked as Meredith headed to the bathroom.

"It's a long story. And I don't have time to explain. So I'll give you the short version: Lexie's new friend Mark who is driving her home knew Derek. He gave me his address so I went over there just to say 'hi'. He ended up inviting me into his house and we started talking about stuff. And he apologized for not making it back to the bar. So he wanted to make it up to me by asking me out for dinner."

"So you really don't have a date. He just wanted to get rid of his guilty conscience," Cristina replied.

Meredith shook her head. "That's not what it is. Even if it isn't a real date, it is still just two new friends who are going out to dinner." She didn't let Cristina argue with her. Instead, she just excused herself before she shut the bathroom door and started to get ready to go out to dinner.


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N**: Thank you for the awesome reviews.

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**Chapter Three**

Cristina waited anxiously until Meredith finally emerged from her bedroom. She tried not to smile as she spoke. "Are you sure that is the right dress for a date with a friend?" she teased her best friend. "Because you look like you are going to get laid tonight."

Meredith gave her a look. "Derek is taking me to a fancy restaurant and I want to look nice. Why do you think that every time I go out with a new guy that I'm going to get laid?" she asked as she put her phone in her purse. She wanted to make sure that she had it in case of an emergency.

"Because every time you have worn this dress, you don't come back home until the next morning," Cristina told her. "And that is always good for me because I can have Owen over without any interruptions."

Meredith tried not to laugh. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I don't think it's that type of date. I'm sure I'll be back by midnight." Cristina rolled her eyes as they heard the doorbell. She went to answer it and greeted Derek. He complimented on her lovely dress. "Thank you," she replied, turning red from embarrassment. She then let him into the apartment. He wasn't in the room for a moment before Cristina came over to them. Meredith quickly did introductions before she grabbed her purse from the counter. She then said good-bye to her before she ushered Derek out the door.

"I wonder if she still believes that I'm a ghost," Derek joked as they walked down the hallway.

Meredith laughed. "So did you say that we're going to a restaurant by the waterfront?" she asked him.

Derek nodded. "I heard from Mark that you can see beautiful Seattle scenery there. I'm sure the city looks pretty at night." Meredith nodded in agreement. "I'm sure it is even more beautiful on the ferryboat. Did I tell you that I love ferryboats?" he asked, trying to remember if he already had or not. Meredith shook her head. "I love them. I used to take rides to Bainbridge Island all the time before I started working on my graduate degree. I haven't been back there in awhile."

"Remind me to never continue into the graduate program," Meredith joked as they left the apartment building. "You really don't have a life, do you?"

"It does take a lot of your time, but I think it's worth it in the end," Derek replied as he opened her passenger door. Meredith thanked him as she slid into the seat. She then made herself comfortable as she waited for Derek to come to the driver's side. Once he had, they exchanged smiles as Derek started the car and backed out of the parking space.

"I guess you don't get out very much since you're researching all of the time," Meredith said.

Derek laughed. "Yeah, you could say that. Mark says I need a life, but I don't have time for one right now." Meredith then started to rethink her theory about the reason why he was so depressed the night that they had first met. "I'm planning to settle down after I finish my graduate degree. That's not for another year or so. What about you?"

Meredith tried not to laugh. "I just turned twenty-one this summer. I'm _so_ not ready to settle down and start a family." She wanted to tell him about her problems. She didn't know why, but she felt that he would be more understanding than her advisor had been. "I don't even know what I want to do as a career yet. Ok, I'm graduating with a bachelor's degree in journalism, but I don't know where I want to work. I know I should have this figured out by now, but I want to enjoy my senior year while I still can."

Derek nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. I was the same way when I was trying to decide what I wanted my major to be. I didn't know what the hell I wanted to be until I realized how much I was interested in studying people and their behaviors. I had taken psychology in high school and loved it."

Meredith wasn't surprised. She could tell that he really loved the study of psychology. In fact, she was afraid that he loved it too much. "Please tell me that you wouldn't name your child after Sigmund Freud," she joked.

Derek laughed. "No, I may like psychology, but I don't like Dr. Freud's name."

They continued to talk as Derek drove them to their destination. They were disappointed when they saw how crowded the restaurant was. The wait was going to be awhile. Derek and Meredith decided to try again another time.

Derek opened the door for Meredith as they walked out of the restaurant. They then headed back to the car. Derek gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry the restaurant didn't work out. I had no idea that it would be such a popular place on a Friday night. Since the restaurant is too busy tonight, why don't we go back to my house and I'll cook us dinner?" he offered.

Meredith raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You cook?"

Derek pretended to be hurt. "What? You don't believe that a man can cook? I grew up with four sisters. I was bound to become a housewife at some point." Meredith laughed. "Laugh all you want, but it's true."

"I'm sure you can cook better than me," Meredith replied. "No matter how hard I try, I burn my food. My friends think I'm hopeless."

Derek gave her a smile. "Well, it is a good thing that I'm an amazing cook then," he said. "I can teach you to become a better cook."

Meredith wasn't convinced. "It's a sweet offer, but I really think I am a lost cause."

Derek gave her a look. "You are with that attitude. And I'm not going to have any of that in my kitchen," he warned her as they reached his car. He opened the passenger door for her again before he climbed into the driver's seat. "Are you ready to have some home cooking?" he asked her. Meredith nodded in agreement. "Then let's get going. I'm planning to cook us a big meal."

* * *

Meredith watched Derek as he put on an apron and started working on their dinner. After a little bit of discussion, they decided to have tacos and chips. They would then have ice cream and wine for dessert. Meredith was munching on a bag of chips as she tried to take notes. However, she couldn't stop smiling at him. Derek turned to her as he noticed the dreamy look on her face. "What are you smiling about?"

"You look good in an apron," Meredith replied as she pushed the bag away from her. She wanted to make sure that she saved some for dinner. "I can definitely see you being a stay at home dad while your wife is the career woman."

Derek laughed. "I don't think so. I'm working hard to become a psychologist. I'm not going to quit just so my wife can be the breadwinner."

Meredith was about to respond when they heard a faint ringing. Derek was confused before she told him that it was her phone. She recognized the familiar ringtone. However, she wasn't planning on answering it. She didn't want to talk to her mother right now, not to mention that it was rude. She just let her phone go to voicemail. She would check her mother's message later.

There was an awkward silence as the phone continued to ring. Derek finally spoke up. "I would understand if you want to answer it," he told her.

Meredith shook her head. "It's my mom, who probably wants to brag about how the visit from her perfect daughter went." Derek looked at her curiously. He was interested to hear more about Meredith's personal life. She hadn't wanted to discuss it before. "My mom favors my sister Lexie over me."

"Why would you think that?" Derek asked, hoping that he wasn't prying too much.

Meredith didn't even have to think before she listed the reasons. "Well, Lexie has a photography memory. So she had perfect grades. She didn't get in trouble with her teachers. She didn't sleep around with boys. So I tried to change for her." She then let out a heavy sigh. "No matter what I did, it didn't seem to please my mom. So I finally gave up and decided to have as little contact with her as possible. I only visit her at birthdays and holidays now."

"What about Lexie?" Derek asked as he finished up with making the tacos. "Are you two getting along since you girls are attending the same university?"

"Actually, I avoid her as much as possible," Meredith replied as she started munching on the bag of chips again. Derek then handed her her plate. "I know she is my sister. And I don't blame her for the way my mother dotes on her, but I don't want her to hang out with me and my friends."

"But she is a freshman and probably doesn't know anybody," Derek gently reminded her. Meredith gave him a look. He realized that he should back off. "I'm sorry. I sound like a parent, don't I?" he guessed. Meredith hated to admit it, but he did. She nodded her head and Derek groaned. "I am on your side though. Even though my family life was different than yours, I'm an older brother too. So I know about the responsibility of trying to be the good role model for my younger sister. However, I don't think it really worked. She always got in trouble anyway." Meredith didn't answer as she ate her dinner. Derek knew that it was best to change the subject. "Are you enjoying your food?"

Meredith nodded as Derek took his apron off and joined her at the kitchen table. "It's delicious."

Derek gave her a smile. "Good. I'm glad you're enjoying it. So is the food better than the company?"

Meredith shook her head. She waited to swallow the latest bite before speaking. She smiled in return. "No, the company is definitely better than the food."

As the night wore on, both Derek and Meredith began to realize that their friendship was quickly turning into romance. Meredith wanted to deny her feelings, but Derek made it impossible to believe that she wasn't falling for him. She was relieved to see that Derek felt the same way about her.

They were interrupted by the sound of someone unlocking the front door. "Are you expecting someone?" Meredith asked as they put down their wine glasses on the coffee table. Derek shook his head as the visitor came into the house. Meredith gasped in surprise as she saw the reason that she had quit working on the school paper, Addison Montgomery. Addison was just as equally surprised as she saw Derek and Meredith on the couch.

"Derek, what the hell is going on in here?" Addison demanded as Derek tried to explain. However, Addison didn't let him interrupt her. "Is this the reason why you broke off our engagement? You were cheating on me with her?"

Meredith didn't want to get in the middle of things, but she wasn't going to let her insult her like that. "What the hell is your problem? You seem to be out to get me every time we see each other."

"You didn't want to follow my new rules for the paper and now you are all over my fiancé," Addison exclaimed angrily. "Do you need any other examples?" She then turned to Derek. "Can I talk to you in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, but it will have to be after I take Meredith home," Derek told her before Meredith grabbed her purse. He then followed her outside to the car. "I'm so sorry about Addison. We just broke up and I guess she came by to get more of her stuff."

Meredith didn't respond for a moment. She waited until they were on the road before speaking. "So what was all that stuff about you not having a life?" she asked as she raised her eyebrows. "That was all a lie, wasn't it?"

"I don't have time to have a life," Derek protested. "That's why I broke off my engagement with Addison. We weren't spending any time together. And the bad part is that I didn't miss her when I was working. That's when I realized that I had to break it off with her before we took that trip down the aisle."

"Did you know that I was talking about Addison when I mentioned the school paper earlier?" Meredith asked him. Derek nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew that the news would make you uncomfortable like it is doing now," Derek replied as he noticed the tension between them. "And I didn't realize how big the rivalry between you two was until now."

"Now you can see why I quit being on the school paper," Meredith replied. "I didn't want to work under her." She then let out a heavy sigh. "I had fun tonight, but I don't think this is going to work out between us."

Derek didn't know whether she was talking about their friendship or romance. "Addison has nothing to do with our relationship, friends or otherwise. I'll talk to her and explain to her that you had nothing to do with my decision to call off the engagement. Give her some time to cool down. I'm sure she'll apologize to you then."

Meredith tried not to laugh. "I wouldn't bet on that," she warned him.

Derek gave her a comforting smile. "Just trust me."

When Meredith arrived in the apartment, she cringed as she saw Owen and Cristina making out on the sofa. They immediately pulled away once they saw Meredith. Cristina tried to give her a smile, but Meredith could see that she was disappointed. "Hey, you're back really early. Your date didn't go well?"

"It went fine until Addison Montgomery interrupted us," Meredith told her before she stormed into her room. As she took her shoes off, she heard Cristina saying good-bye to Owen. She then heard footsteps and knew it was Cristina. She explained the whole story before she started ranting. "That bitch has made my life miserable from the day I met her."

Cristina was surprised to see how upset her best friend was. "Don't you think you are overreacting?" she asked. "You only saw her when you were working on the school newspaper and now you have met her at Derek's house. How is she ruining your life if you don't see her every day?"

"Because I still would be on the newspaper if it wasn't for her," Meredith replied. "And I don't know if Derek and I are going out on another date or we will just stay friends and stick with study dates."

"You'll go out with him again," Cristina assured her. "You and McHotty are meant to be." Meredith gave her a look. "Well, you were right. He is hot. If I wasn't dating Owen, I would probably go out with him."

"He isn't McHotty," Meredith replied. "He's McDreamy." Cristina thought for a moment before she agreed on the nickname. Meredith didn't want to admit it, but she did hope that Derek would ask her out on another date. Despite Addison's unexpected visit, she had too much fun at the last one that she would hate for them to stop.


End file.
